Re: ìDeveloper warns of ëdangerous precedent' as MVC shelves levyî by John Gleeson, Sept. 13.Mountain View County Council has taken some courageous stands in the past 10 months in response to an electoral mandate for change. It has been harder work than councillors have faced in years. Few of the decisions have been more commendable though than the decision to fully review the rationale and risks of densification via the MDP and, more specifically, how it affects the Hwy. 2/27 or Netook project densities and offsite levies. These were widely discussed by county residents over the past two years and council is acting on this input in spite of unfair and sharp criticism from outside investors and development interests.Prior to 2006, consultants, engineers, MVC staff and developers pursued the line that Mountain View County was heading for disaster unless we duplicated the Balzac or Gasoline Alley phenomena. Oil and gas tax revenues were going to run out and the struggling agricultural base would be left to shoulder the load. This Chicken Little version of ìthe sky is fallingî was flawed thinking. Further it was believed that intensive county development should occur where the province would carry the road costs ñ at major intersections ñ regardless if top agricultural land was ruined. Bring together fear and presumption and you get a wildly unrealistic plan called Netook.But wait, there's good news and bad news to pass along. First the good news.The recent technology burst in horizontal drilling and enhanced oil recovery has reset the meter on our oil inventory by 25 years or more so we're now looking at tremendous near-term activity and longer term revenues than even the most optimistic forecasts of five to seven years ago. Some believe the former council could be forgiven for accepting the earlier gloom and doom scenario and rushing to urbanize the county for the sake of tax revenues. But the Alberta economy, like our weather, has a way of making most forecasters eat crow! What's becoming clearer each day is that the county's linear/M&E tax revenue could continue to be very healthy depending on the expansion of the overall North American economy.But the bad news, and it's not news at all for those who have lived in Alberta for any length of time, is simply that urbanization in a northern climate isn't cheap, it's not risk free and it's not a substitute for steady enterprise development and diversification for building a sustainable regional tax base. Today most towns and villages, and even some cities, are struggling with new development costs even though they have significant infrastructure already in the ground and paid for years ago at reasonable rates. Some are forced to raise taxes dramatically or go to their rural cousins or the provincial government for extra help to keep them from folding.With nearly non-existent sales and development at the new business park at 2/27, it is quickly becoming a highly visible embarrassment to MVC. Where is the rush of new businesses wanting to catch all the traffic going by? Is development pressure around Olds really equivalent to that around Red Deer and Calgary? Really? For the information of council's critics, an empty business park or abandoned residential venture is a far worse image to have than one that exhibits ìprudenceî in the face of facts!Already Olds is becoming a very fine, integrated and diverse community and is developing responsibly. Let's work with established communities like this instead of competing unwisely and trying to establish a new town two minutes from one already succeeding. The worst news of all is that, if the Netook project did not build out as predicted, the developers simply fold their paper castles and leave the unfinished heavy lifting to the county taxpayers and Alberta citizens and the weeds will continue to grow where once were waving fields of grain.Council is on the right track to stare down those who promise generous tax revenues ahead as they propose to build a brand new town. Most developers are not committed to the long term in ensuring the survival of these communities so if they wish to stomp away mad, we understand that basic human response to disappointment. I think these folks are well intended and obviously successful enough to speculate on land and hire expensive consultants. May they live long and well and be of noble character sufficient to eventually thank this council for preventing all of us from throwing good money after bad. Put simply, just stop the ride before more people get hurt. Let's give reason a chance!!!Lloyd QuantzMountain View County
